by Jade Waltz
“I know what the issue is. You want some female attention for yourself,” Idris chuckled.
Erlyn glanced up toward his liege. “I am sworn to you first.”
Idris knew Erlyn wouldn’t leave his side. He worked too hard to earn this rank, and he wanted to remain there. But Idris didn’t want Erlyn to feel discouraged—or worse, jealous—if he ever settled with a female. His focus had been on the war alone. Something about the concept of seeking pleasure or settling down while the future of their species was unknown bothered him. It prevented him from even toying with the idea of finding a mate.
“But don’t you want a female to call your own?”
Something flashed before Erlyn’s pale green eyes before they hardened. “Like everyone else, I would love to have a mate someday, but as I said, I dedicated my life to yours first. Any female would have to understand that.”
“Are you saying that I am a difficult person to work for?” Idris challenged playfully.
“No, quite the opposite, really. But I am waiting for a female to put you in your place.”
“As if that would happen.”
Something flashed on Erlyn’s tablet, pulling his attention away from their conversation. He tapped the screen a few times. “It looks like the human’s first ship has warped into the star system.”
“Only one?” Idris asked, standing up from his chair.
He walked to his office’s wall displays and stared at their readings. On multiple screens, it showed a single fighter from various angles.
“That is what the reports are saying.”
Idris tapped on the main display and zoomed in on the lone vessel.
There was one pilot within the double-seated craft; exactly how humans were positioned in the battles. He always wondered why only a select few flew double whenever they fought. He assumed that they, too, were running low on capable pilots.
Crossing his arms, he studied the craft, waiting for any display of hostility.
“Do you think this is a trap?”
“It could be.”
Idris called the hangar’s Control Room. The StarBase Commander instantly answered, locking his sapphire eyes to his. The atmosphere behind him was lively, his operators working frantically at their stations.
“Prince Idris, I was about to contact you,” Commander Ajexk said, his deep bass voice cutting through the noise around him. “A single human fighter has appeared. I await your orders on how to proceed.”
“Have you tried hailing them?”
“Not yet, Sire.” He held his hand up, gesturing for the room to fall silent. “What do you suggest we do?”
“Erlyn has pointed out that this could be a trap. I want you to deploy a set of drones and try hailing them. Keep scanning the star system for any incoming warp signatures. I do not want to be caught unprepared.”
Commander Ajexk nodded and pointed to someone off-screen. “Deploy the drones.” He turned to a pair of operators behind him. “I want you two to search for anything suspicious.” He returned his gaze to Idris. “Should I hail them? Or do you want to do the honors?”
“You do it. I am going to prepare the welcoming party and wait for them to arrive at the hangar,” Idris replied. “I will not allow any hostility displayed toward the fighter. There must be a reason why a single vessel was sent here, and I do not want to be responsible for any misunderstandings. Do you understand me?”
A chorus of affirmatives answered him.
“I leave the rest to you to handle as you see fit, Commander. Update Erlyn with any changes. Do not fail me,” he hissed, snapping his tail behind him.
The whole control room saluted him before he ended the call.
Idris waved his hand across his display, closing all the reports and video feeds before turning toward his assistant.
Erlyn was already standing, tablet in hand, and ready for orders.
“You gave me credit,” Erlyn murmured, meeting his gaze. “Why?”
“Because you deserve it,” Idris replied, confused. “Sometimes, I can’t take all of the glory, and I wanted to make sure your colleagues know that you are doing your job. We both know that sometimes assistants are treated as props.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Plus, it will show that I don’t have you around as some pleasure toy.” Idris smirked, walking toward the office door. “Don’t think I haven’t heard the rumors that we are together.”
Erlyn coughed. “I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“You are my assistant, and it angers me that others believe I may be abusing my position of power to force you into my bed.” Idris shot him a look. “Now isn’t the time for this conversation, but I wanted to make sure the starbase knows I haven’t kept you by my side all these years because you warm my bed.”
“Thank you, Sire.”
Idris studied him before exiting his office.
The gentle male was his best friend and had never failed him. They had been through so much together. It angered him that ever since they came to the starbase, rumors had surfaced. Though they didn’t bother him, Idris had a feeling that they bothered Erlyn. Life as a prince was lonely, and as his assistant, Erlyn was forced to have a similar lifestyle. His secrets were also Erlyn’s, and Idris understood that they caused him to keep his distance from others.
When—if—life calmed down, he needed to settle the debt he owed Erlyn. The male never took any time off to himself. He needed to be rewarded for all his service.
They swiftly exited his office and took the lift down to the hangar bay.
Surprisingly, the grounds crew were staying out of the security team’s way as they started to line up around the docking bay.
Idris found the obsidian-scaled commander pacing nearby, barking orders at his team. Quickly, they stood at attention, prepared for instructions.
“Did they respond to your hailing?” Idris asked, even though judging by the commotion, he could already figure out the answer.
“That is a negative, Sire.” Commander Ajexk shot a glance at the slowly incoming fighter through the hangar bay’s magnetic shield. “There was no sign of communication. We tried all frequencies.”
Idris followed his gaze. “How did they react to your drones?”
“Not how I would expect.” He pointed at faint outlines along the sides of the vessel. “The pilot treated them as if they were guiding them to the starbase.”
“Was that your intention?”
The commander’s tail flicked. “No. I was hoping they would reveal their intentions.”
“That would be an unwise move, if they truly are alone,” Erlyn commented.
“I agree.”
They watched in silence as the fighter came within tractor beam range. Three green glowing magnetic rays attached themselves to the vessel and started pulling it in. The blue-lighted lines on the floor indicated its landing path.
“I want everyone to be on high alert, but display absolutely no sign of hostility,” Idris addressed those who were gathered as they surrounded the ship’s landing pad. “This is supposed to be a diplomatic meeting. Let us have faith that they have come in peace.”
“Prince, I believe you should get behind the shields,” Commander Ajexk advised, as his gaze never left the ship. “We don’t know if they will shoot.”
“Will do.”
Idris knew his place. While he may be the person left in charge of the starbase, the commander had more experience when it came to security. For such a vital mission, he wouldn’t jeopardize his safety just because he was royalty. Idris retreated behind the nearest shielding, Erlyn followed as he worked frantically on his tablet.
“Erlyn, I want you to be prepared to page Doctor Qatszo if needed. We don’t know why they didn’t answer our hails,” he commanded, watching the ship break through the magnetic shield.
“Already ahead of you.”
“What do you think our next step should be?” Idris asked, watching the fighter slowly make its way down the landing strip. T
here was no resistance from the vessel. He could see the pilot’s silhouette sitting calmly in the cockpit.
“Continue as planned, perhaps reduce the amount of security present once we confirm that no other ships are incoming.”
“I will leave that task to you.” Idris shot him a look, as Erlyn glanced up from his tablet, meeting his gaze. “What do you think about assigning them Raizxl as their personal guard?”
“Raizxl?” Erlyn hissed, narrowing his pale green eyes in confusion. “Wouldn’t there be a . . . more pleasant person to assign on security duty?”
“What is wrong with Raizxl?”
“I don’t know . . . it might be the fact that he lost his mate. He hasn’t been the same since,” he whispered, returning his attention to the vessel.
Idris followed his gaze and watched as the tractor beams slowed the ship to a halt, positioned perfectly on the landing pad. The grounds crew waited along the walls, ready to inspect the fighter for any damages and recharge its energy cells.
Idris wasn’t foolish. He knew the grounds crew would take full advantage of the opportunity to inspect the vessel, now that a seemingly undamaged one had landed in their hangar bay like a gift. Studying their weaponry could help them improve their own defenses, even though most of the human-technology was outdated compared to their own.
It was their resources and manpower that the Daextru were interested in, in hopes it would change the course of the war.
Sounds of the engines powering down filled the otherwise silent hangar, as all attention landed on the display before them.
The cockpit’s dome opened as a ladder rolled out from its compartment. The pilot rapidly worked their control board, focused on the task at hand.
Idris took it as a sign that it was safe to approach and stepped out from behind the shields. He couldn’t keep his eyes off the pilot as he worked his way to the commander’s side.
The pilot placed their hands upon their steering wheel, seemingly oblivious to everyone’s stares as they waited for the next action.
After a few moments that seemed to take an eternity, they removed their helmet and placed it on their steering wheel before combing through their short black hair.
Something about the pilot seemed familiar . . .
“Erlyn,” he breathed, unable to pull his gaze from the pale human. “What is the diplomat’s name?”
“Aydin Lian, Sire.”
Jaiya gulped deep breaths and gripped the steering wheel with her shaking hands as she tried to get a hold on the panic that was threatening to take over.
She had done it.
At first, when they’d sent the drones, she had thought she had made some mistake and they were going to attack. She quickly realized that wasn’t the case; they were guiding her to their main hangar bay. Her fighter needed to recharge before she could make another warp jump, and her weapons wouldn’t do enough damage to make an escape, so she’d decided to follow.
She didn’t miss the turrets aimed at her either.
Doubts gnawed at her.
Did she know enough Dzexet to be able to communicate with them? Did they have some sort of translator? She had noticed in battle that whenever they tried to speak CTA Common, there was always a slight delay before a strangely accented voice spoke.
It was too late to question whether or not she had made a mistake. She was now behind enemy lines, alone and disguised as a diplomat.
Who came up with this brilliant plan? That’s right, I did.
No longer wanting to prolong the introductions, Jaiya took her helmet off and carefully placed it on her steering wheel. Nervously, she combed her newly shortened hair, hoping to add life to its flattened state.
She removed her ID and mission holodisk, throwing it in her personal compartment and sealing it with a prick of her finger. Intruders would have to steal a drop of her blood in order to break in. Any entry by force would trigger the compartment’s self-destruct sequence.
She shot a glance at the space, its emptiness unsettling her. Were they worried about a human seeing Daextru vessels up close? Why was her fighter the only ship in the hangar?
From up above, the welcoming party looked like a sea of metallic scales and horns as intimidating as their chilling stares.
Suddenly she wanted to hide in her cockpit, revel in the safety of its enclosure, and hope to never have to face them in person, all at once.
Jaiya shuddered as she tried to bring herself into a calmer state, as if she was preparing herself for battle—a battle of politics instead of in the stars.
No turning back now.
Jaiya unlatched her harnesses with a swift precision that was instinctual after years of flying and climbed out of her cockpit. When her feet touched the ground, she turned and faced the approaching envoys.
Three males stepped forward to greet her. The remaining aliens stood at attention behind them, prepared to disable her if she presented a threat to their leaders.
When her gaze landed on the center male, a small gasp escaped her lips.
Standing tall was the most feared male in the Draextru army—the Black Hole.
Why is he here?
Metallic blue scales on his chest shimmered in the hangar’s light, and larger golden ones peaked from his tight black pants and wrapped around his neck. She didn’t miss the golden tail; All of the human files always seemed to forget that in their description. All cross-species conversations in the past years had occurred over ship comms, which only showed speakers from the chest up. His long hair was so dark blue; it was almost black as it came down to the middle of his chest. Two thin golden horns framed the top of his head in tight ribbed spirals, wound tight enough to appear straight. His bright aqua eyes met her own.
Startled to be caught studying him, and lost as to how to proceed, Jaiya shot her hand out for a handshake.
“Thank you for the invitation,” Jaiya blurted in CTA Common. She winced, remembering too late that she needed to speak Dzexet and deepen her voice to sound male.
They stared at her outstretched hand as if it was a weapon. The large obsidian male stepped forward, hand on his blaster pistol, ready to defend the familiar blue male.
Jaiya glanced at her hand in confusion before addressing him once more.
“Thank you for the invitation,” she repeated, but this time in Dzexet and a mellower tone. “I am Diplomat Aydin Lian, representing the Cosmic Trinity Alliance. I hope we can work together toward a common goal over the next few days.”
The lead male flexed his hand and hesitated, examining her features from head to toe. Slowly, he grabbed her hand, enclosing it in his.
“I am Prince Idris, standing leader of this starbase and diplomatic representative for the royal family.” His voice was like honey, exotic in his native tongue, different from the cocky male she had met on the battlefield. He locked his eyes on hers as he gave her hand a tight squeeze. “I hope we can put aside our differences and come to an understanding.”
His scaled hand felt warm, almost too hot to touch. The corner of his mouth pulled into a smirk. She squeezed his hand back, not caring that his dwarfed hers, as she tried to assert her dominance in their handshake.
Jaiya had met plenty of males who pulled this trick while moving up the ranks over the years. It was always the same move, a game to try and prove that she didn’t belong from the get-go. After protesting a few times to no avail, Jaiya had decided to play along, gaining vindictive pleasure from their shocked reactions.
Only a few people knew she practiced hand-to-hand combat, and at times like this, she was thankful for that.
“Prince Idris?” Jaiya asked, unable to believe that he was the same pilot whose reputation was feared amongst the fleet. “It’s an honor to work with you.”
He released her hand, opening and closing his before letting it fall against his side.
“Have we met before? You seem familiar.” He scrunched his face in confusion as he studied her, before shooting the fighter parked behind her a g
lance. “How is a diplomat able to pilot a vessel? Why were you sent alone?”
“You have probably mistaken me for my twin sister, Jaiya. She pilots a fighter just like the one I’ve arrived in.” She licked her lips nervously. “In fact, she was the one who taught me how to fly this vessel. My higher-ups chose to send me to fly in alone as a show of our goodwill.”
“Is this a joke?” The obsidian male removed his hand from his weapon to clench his fist, glaring at her. “Are you wasting our time?”
“Commander Ajexk!” Idris hissed. “Watch your temper in front of our guest.”
“Sire—”
“You are dismissed.” His golden tail whipped back and forth aggressively as he stared down the offending male.
The commander growled, mumbling something incoherent as the room watched him walk away.
“I am sorry for his sudden outburst. It seems like the high pressure has finally gotten to him.” Idris faced her and shot her an apologetic smile. “Please forgive him.”
“I understand.” Jaiya nodded. “And I won’t let this lapse influence our coming peace talks.”
“I am glad,” he sighed. His shoulders relaxed as the tension left him.
“Perhaps Diplomat Lian should be shown his quarters for the time of his stay,” the purple-scaled male suggested.
“That’s an excellent suggestion.” The prince turned toward the soft-spoken male. “Diplomat Lian, I would like to introduce to you my sworn assistant, Erlyn.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Jaiya nodded.
“How many assistants do you need?” Erlyn scanned the fighter. “It doesn’t look like you brought many belongings with you.”
“One person would be more than enough.”
“If that is the case, then I should introduce you to your personal guard,” Idris announced, shifting his stance toward the group of Daextru guards lined up and waiting for instructions. “Raizxl! Come here!”
An emerald male with long, golden hair walked up to them. He had large silver ram-like horns, and silver and golden-hued scales wrapped around his neck. As he stared at her, his dragon-like eyes narrowed to slits, taking her in.
“This is Raizxl. He will carry your belongings as he escorts you to your room,” Idris explained. “If you have any questions, feel free to ask him.”